Tick season lands at exactly the time of year we most want to be outside – and this year, it arrived early and hit hard. According to CDC surveillance data, emergency room visits for tick bites climbed to their highest levels in nearly a decade this spring, and public health researchers are warning that 2026 could be one of the worst tick-borne disease years on record.
The numbers behind the 2026 tick season
The CDC's Tick Bite Data Tracker recorded 104 emergency department visits for tick bites per 100,000 total ER visits in April 2026, up from 68 in April 2025. In nearly every region of the country except the South Central U.S., weekly rates of tick-related ER visits in April were the highest for that month since 2017. The Northeast was hit hardest, with tick-related ER visits climbing roughly 40% compared to April of last year. By late June, the weekly national rate had climbed even further, to 118 per 100,000 ER visits, according to the CDC's tracker, becoming a clear sign that the season was still accelerating well past its usual early-spring ramp-up.
Although, it isn't just ER data. The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab at East Stroudsburg University reported receiving 55% more ticks submitted for testing in 2026 compared to 2025, and Connecticut's tick testing program has been fielding an average of 30 submissions a day, with more than 40% testing positive for the Lyme disease bacteria. Ramping up in February and March instead of the typical April start, tick activity started unusually early this year, pointing toward a longer season overall, not just a busier one.
Why this is happening
Three forces are converging to make 2026 especially bad, and all three are expected to keep compounding in future years rather than reverse on their own.
Milder winters mean fewer ticks die off. Ticks don't need a brutal winter to survive – some species shelter under snow, hide in leaf litter, or produce natural antifreeze-like compounds to endure freezing temperatures. However, warmer, shorter winters mean a larger share of the population survives into spring instead of the usual seasonal die-off, leaving more ticks ready to feed and reproduce when the weather warms.
Wildlife host populations are expanding. Ticks need blood meals from animal hosts – deer, mice, and other small mammals – to complete their life cycle and reproduce. Growing deer populations and cyclical booms in rodent populations (often following abundant acorn and seed years) give ticks more opportunities to feed, survive, and multiply. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health point to this host expansion as a key driver behind the surge, alongside suburban development that puts more people in direct contact with wooded and brushy tick habitat.
Ticks are expanding into new geography. Warmer, more humid springs and summers are pushing tick populations, and the diseases they carry, into regions that historically saw little tick activity. That geographic expansion means people in areas that never used to think about tick-borne diseases now need to.
What's actually at stake
This isn't just a matter of more itchy bites. Lyme disease remains the most common vector-borne illness in the U.S., with more than 89,000 confirmed cases reported to the CDC in 2023 (the most recent year with finalized data). Researchers believe the true number of infections is significantly higher than this since Lyme is widely considered underdiagnosed and underreported. Left untreated, later-stage Lyme disease can cause joint damage, neurological problems, and heart rhythm disturbances that persist for months or years, and Lyme is just one of several tick-borne threats gaining ground this year alongside alpha-gal syndrome and Powassan virus.
What to do about it
The core prevention advice hasn't changed, but it matters more this year given how early and how strong the season has started:
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Use EPA-registered repellents (such as permethrin on clothing and gear).
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Avoid brushing against tall grass, leaf litter, and brushy trail edges.
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Do full-body tick checks after time outdoors, and check pets that go outside daily.
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Remove any attached tick immediately with fine-point tweezers, or a TiCK SiDEKiCK, pulling straight out with steady pressure.
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Make tick checks a daily habit for the whole household, pets included — a chemical-free tool like TiCK MiTT makes it easier to lift loose ticks off skin, fur, and gear before they attach.
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If you find a tick or develop symptoms after being in tick habitat, get it identified or tested rather than waiting to see what happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 2026 such a bad tick season? A combination of milder winters (which let more ticks survive), expanding deer and rodent populations (which give ticks more hosts to feed on), and ticks spreading into new geographic areas has driven tick-related ER visits to their highest levels since 2017.
Are tick bites really increasing in 2026? Yes. CDC data shows tick-related ER visits reached 104 per 100,000 total ER visits in April 2026, up from 68 in April 2025, with the Northeast seeing roughly a 40% year-over-year increase.
What states are seeing the worst tick activity in 2026? The Northeast and Midwest have seen the sharpest increases in tick-related ER visits and tick testing submissions, though ticks are increasingly being reported in states outside their traditional range.
When does tick season peak in 2026? Tick activity typically peaks between April and October, with Lyme disease diagnoses usually highest in July and August. In 2026, tick activity started earlier than usual, in February and March, suggesting an extended season.
How can I protect myself during a bad tick season? Use EPA-registered repellents, wear long sleeves and pants in wooded or grassy areas, do thorough tick checks after being outdoors, and remove any attached tick immediately and correctly.
Sources: CDC Tick Bite Data Tracker; Science Direct; Vincent Wang Wellness Center; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
